The BarBelle Belle Two Decades & Too Many Memories

BY SARA HAVENS AKA THE BAR BELLE

and give a big round of applause to Phoenix Hill Tavern and Jim Porter’s, nightclubs that gave us endless hours of entertainment whether we were there for live music or not. These time capsules from the ’70s catered to everyone looking for a good time, and while PHT was geared to the younger folks, Jim Porter’s offered the 35+ crowd a place to dance the night away, cheek to cheek. When both places closed in 2015, Louisville was devastated. And I’m not sure our nightclub game has ever recovered.

I held court in the main room at PHT whenever the Velcro Pygmies played, and sometimes we’d sneak up to the rooftop stage in between sets to check out the band up there. My bra ended up on the big-ass ceiling fan more times than I’d like to admit, and I’d also like to forget all those hot dogs I ate as we scattered out the door after last call.

One more big nightlife complex long gone is Coyote’s downtown. This place was like a shopping mall of bars — there were four or five bars under one roof — and while Coyote’s catered to country music, the other bars offered a wide mix of music to keep everyone happy and dancing. I also saw so many concerts here I can’t even begin to list them, but the one that stands out was Snoop Dogg.

Forgive me if this list skews more toward the Highlands, but I tended to stay close to home back in the days because there was no Uber or Lyft, and taxi service was just not reliable. Neither was your mom. Heyyoohh! Who can forget Cahoots, which had some delicious cheese fries before it got too dirty to dine? Or what about my beloved Monkey Wrench with epic Halloween parties and dance nights? I even miss Bearno’s Highlands, where my No Cover Walk pub crawl always ended with a karaoke blowout.

And I’m guessing most of you didn’t go here because it was never busy, but Slick’s Tavern was always a fun time when Slick was pouring the Budweiser from the one lone tap. That tiny bar later became NV Tavern — also a great place run by the awe- some Jo — and it’s now home to Big Bar. Another pocket of cool dive bars could be found in St. Matthews — all within walking distance. I spent many a-night listening to music by the Muckrakers, Digby and Butch Rice at Dutch’s Tavern and the BW3’s St. Matthews, and while Gerstle’s is the only one that still remains out of this group, I also need to mention Maier’s Tavern, Bluegrass Brewing Co. and 60 West.

Who can forget the Weasel Walk in that cluster of bars? It was essentially a pub crawl where you picked up a card, got it punched at each place and turned it in for an XL T-shirt you only wore to bed or the gym. But dammit, it was such a fun time year after year! Don’t ask.

Further on down Frankfort Avenue, we’ve gotta give a shout-out to Clifton’s Pizza and Longshot Tavern. Clifton’s always had solid pizza and was a great venue for singer-songwriters, and Longshot also had live music on the weekends and usually had two dogs running around the place. I miss that. And I’ve gotta throw in the Butchertown Pub here because we all have stories hidden in those walls. Speaking of music (and theatre) let’s not forget the revered Old Louisville stalwart The Rudyard Kipling, where twenty years ago you might have heard Tim Krekel one night, and seen the Le Petomane theatre troupe on another, while sipping brews and eating bean soup.

So I’m quickly running out of space but could go on and on. I’d be remiss not to mention Louisville’s thriving gay bar scene over the years. Of course we’re all mourning the loss of the downtown dance club Connections, but we also can’t forget Tryangles, Teddy Bears, Fuzion, Starbase Q, Tink’s, The Alternative, The Planet, Red Lounge and the Pink Door. I remember being at Fuzion when Obama became president for the first time; I got my Monica Lewinsky purse stolen at the Pink Door while I played Rock Band; and I sprained my ankle once jumping off the dance platforms at Connections. There you have it.

Gone but not forgotten. F&D